Geography - Climate - Brief Notes
CLIMATE
Climate refers to the sum total of weather conditions and variations over a large area for a long
period of time.
It is the sum total of weather conditions for larger area.
Eg: for a country:
WEATHER:
It refers to state of atmosphere over an area at any point of time.
It is the total of weather conditions for limited area.
Eg: for a city
The elements of weather and climate are temperature, atmospheric pressure, wind, humidity and
precipitation.
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INDIAN CLIMATE
The climate of India is monsoon type.
•Monsoon is derived from ‘mausim which means season and it refers to the seasonal reversal in
the wind direction during a year.
•In Asia, this type of climate is found mainly in south and south-east.
DIFFERENCES IN INDIAN CLIMATE
In summer the temperature of Rajasthan is about 50’C but in Jammu & Kashmir it’s 20’c.
In winter at J&K the temperature is -45’C but in Thiruvanantapuram its 22’C.
While precipitation is in the form of snowfall in upper parts of Himalayas, it rains over the rest of
country.
Most parts receive rainfall from June to July but some like Tamil Nadu receive it even in the season
of October and November.
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CLIMATIC CONTROLS
The major controls of climate are:
[Link] : Due to curvature the amount of solar energy received varies according to it.
[Link]: As we go higher there is a decrease in temperature of 16’
[Link] and Wind system: As per latitude and altitude temperature and rainfall also influences
the climate.
[Link] from sea: The sea exerts moderating influence on climate, regions near sea
experiences moderate climate.
[Link] Currents: It leads continentality which means very hot during summers and very cold
during winters.
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FACTORS AFFECTING INDIAN CLIMATE
[Link]:
Tropic of cancer almost divides the country in two equal parts running from Rann of Kuchh to
Mizoram.
The region lying in the south of tropic of cancer is tropical whereas the region in north is in sub
tropical.
Therefore India receives both tropical as well as sub-tropical climate.
[Link]:
India has mountains in north with average height of 6000m and coast line of about 30m.
The Himalayas act as a barrier to enter winds in India from Central Asia.
That’s why it experiences mild winters as compare to Central Asia.
[Link] and WINDS
It is further divided in three parts.
•Pressure and surface winds
•Upper air circulation
•Western disturbances
Pressure and surface winds: India lies in the region of north-easterly winds which originate from
northern hemisphere and blow towards south but deflected to right due to coriolis force [In physics,
the Coriolis force is an inertial or fictitious force that seems to act on objects that are in motion within a frame of
reference that rotates with respect to an inertial frame. In a reference frame with clockwise rotation, the force acts
to the left of the motion of the object].These winds carry small silts that’s why don’t affect India’s rain.
[Link] air circulation: Winds travel from a low pressure area to high pressure area. Air moves
from indian ocean to south-east direction crossing equator and turns right towards indian
subcontinent giving rain to it. The upper air circulation over warm oceans is called jet stream.
[Link] disturbances: During the time of winters in India cyclone formation takes place in
‘mediterranean sea whose winds are very powerful that after crossing Pakistan, Afghanistan they
finally reach jammu and kashmir leads to rainfall in winters there.
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The unifying influence of the monsoon on the Indian subcontinent is quite perceptible.
The seasonal alteration of the wind systems and the associated weather conditions provide a
rhythmic cycle of seasons.
Even the uncertainties of rain and uneven distribution are very much typical of the monsoon.
The Indian landscape, its animal and plant life, the people, including their festivities, revolve around
this phenomenon.
Year after year, people of India from north to south and from east to west, eagerly await the arrival
of the monsoon.
These monsoon winds bind the whole country by providing water to set the agricultural activities in
motion. The river valleys which carry this water also unite as a single river valley unit.
Early in the season, the windward side of the Western Ghats receives very heavy rainfall, more
than 250cm.
The Deccan Plateau and parts of Madhya Pradesh also receive some amount of rain in spite of
lying in the rain shadow area.
The maximum rainfall of this season is received in the north-eastern part of the country.
Rainfall in the Ganga valley decreases from the east to the west. Rajasthan and parts of Gujarat
get scanty rainfall.
The breaks in the monsoon are related to the movement of the monsoon tough.
The trough and its axis keep on moving northward or southward. When the axis of the monsoon
trough lies over the plains and widespread rain occur in the Himalayan Rivers.
Mawsynram in the southern ranges of the Khasi Hills receives the highest average rainfall in the
world.
Ques. Why is monsoon known for its “uncertainties”?
While it causes heavy floods in one part, it may be responsible for droughts in the other.
It is often irregular in its arrival and its retreat. Hence, it sometimes disturbs the farming schedule of
millions of farmers all over the country.
During October-November, the monsoon trough or the low pressure trough over the northern plains
becomes weaker. This is gradually replaced by a high-pressure system.
The south-east monsoon winds weaken and start withdrawing gradually. By the beginning of the
October, the monsoon withdraws from the Northern Plains.
The months of October-November form a period of transition from hot rainy season to dry winter
conditions. The retreat of the monsoon is marked by clear skies and rise in temperature.
While day temperatures are high, nights are cool and pleasant.
Owing to the conditions of high temperature and humidity, the weather becomes rather oppressive
during the day. This is known as “OCTOBER HEAT”.
The low-pressure conditions, over north-western India, get transferred to the Bay of Bengal by
early November.
This shift is associated with the occurrence of cyclonic depressions, which originates over the
Andaman Sea.
These cyclones generally cross the eastern coasts of India cause heavy and widespread rain.
These tropical cyclones are often very destructive.
The thickly populated deltas of the Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri are frequently struck by
cyclones, which cause great damage to life and property.
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THE SEASONS
The monsoon type of climate is characterised by a distinct seasonal pattern. The weather
conditions greatly change from one season to the other. The coastal areas do not experience much
variation in temperature though there is variation in rainfall pattern. Four main seasons can be
identified in India- the cold weather season, hot weather season, the advancing monsoon and the
retreating monsoon with some regional variations.
THE COLD WEATHER SEASON (WINTER)
1. The cold weather season begins from mid- November in northern India and stays
till February.
2. December and January are the coldest months in the northern part of India.
3. The temperature decreases from south to the north.
4. Days are warm and nights are cold.
5. Frost is common in the north and the higher slopes of Himalayas experience snowfall.
6. The northeast trade winds blow from land to sea and hence, for most part of the country, it is a
dry season.
7. Some amount of rainfall occurs on the Tamil Nadu coast from these winds as, here they blow
from sea to land.
8. The weather is normally marked by clear sky, low temperatures and low humidity and feeble
variable winds.
9. A characteristic feature of the cold weather season over the northern plains is a the inflow of
cyclonic disturbances from the west and the northwest.
[Link] cause the much- needed winter rains over the plains and snowfall in the mountains.
[Link] amount of winter rainfall locally known as ‘mahawat’ is small; they are of . immense
importance for the cultivation of ‘rabi’ crops.
12. The peninsular region does not have well- defined cold season.
THE HOT WEATHER SEASON (SUMMER)
1. From March to May, it is hot weather season in India.
2. The influence of shifting of the heat belt can be seen clearly from temperature recordings taken
during March- May at different latitudes.
3. In peninsular India, temperature remain lower due to the moderating influence of the oceans.
[Link] summer months experience rising temperature and falling air pressure in the
northern part of the country.
5. Towards the end of May, an elongated low pressure area develops in the region extending from
the Thar Desert in the northwest to Patna and Chotanagpur plateau
and southeast.
6. The striking feature of the hot weather season is the ‘loo’. These are strong, gusty, hot, dry
winds blowing during the day over the north and northwestern India.
7. Dust storms are very common during the month of May in northern India. These storms bring
temporary relief as they lower the temperature and may bring light rain and cool breeze.
8. In West Bengal, these storms are known as ‘Kaal Baisakhi’.
9. Towards the close of the summer season, pre- monsoon showers are common especially, in
Kerala and Karnataka.
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DISTRIBUTION OF RAINFALL
There are three types of rainfall :-
-Low rainfall (Less than 50 cm.)
- Average rainfall (Between 50 to 250 cm.)
- High rainfall (More than 250 cm.)
1. Parts of western coast and northern India receive over about 400 cm of rainfall annually.
2. It is less than 60cm in western Rajasthan and adjoining parts of Gujarat, Haryana and
Punjab.
3. Rainfall is equally low in the interior of Deccan plateau, and east of the Sahyadris.
4. The rest of the country receives moderate rainfall. Snowfall is restricted to the Himalayan region.
Because of the nature of monsoons, the annual rainfall is highly variable from year to year.
Variability is high in the regions of low rainfall such as parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat and leeward (rain
shadow area) side of the Western Ghats. While the areas of high rainfall are responsible to be
affected by the floods and the areas of low rainfall are drought- prone.
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SOME IMPORTANT TERMS
1. Frost- A state in freezing, frozen dew.
2. Loo- Strong, gusty, hot, dry winds blowing during the day over the north and northwestern India.
3. Mango showers- Pre-monsoon showers in Kerala and Karnataka help in ripening of
mangoes earlier, known as Mango showers.
4. Trough- large vacuum in between of the Himalayas and the peninsular plateau, the
plains.
5. Leeward- Rain shadow area.
6. El Nino - El Nino: This is a name given to the periodic development of a warm ocean current along the
coast of Peru as a temporary replacement of the cold Peruvian current. ‘El Nino’ is a Spanish word meaning
‘the child’, and refers to the baby Christ, as this current starts flowing during [Link] presence of the
El Nino leads to an increase in sea-surface temperatures and weakening of the trade winds in the region.
